Boehner's Conundrum

Michael Sean Winters
|
Jun. 18, 2013
Distinctly Catholic

This report at Politico[1] illustrates Speaker John Boehner's conundrum on immigration reform. Cong. Dana Rohrbacher says that if Boehner brings an immigration bill to the floor that does not have the support of a majority of House Republicans, he will lose his speakership. To be clear, there is no bill that could garner the support of a majority of Republicans in the House that would have any chance of passing the Senate. Frankly, the kind of bill that could garner a majority of House Republicans probably could not get a majority of House Democrats and might not even pass the House. It is not critical that Boehner get a majority of Republicans to support the bill. It is critical that he get a majority of Republicans to support the idea of bringing a bill that can pass to the floor, knowing that most Republicans will vote against it but that the party must get this issue behind them or make it impossible for a Republican to win the White House for at least a generation, maybe longer.